How To Make A Guinea Pig Happy In 8 Easy Steps

Are you wondering how to make a guinea pig happy? Cavies are tailless rodents that bring joy to your household every time. They are adorable furballs that can be very sweet if you give them much attention and care.

Since guinea pigs are easy to maintain, they are also like humans who seek food, shelter, and companionship, there are many ideas for you to please your piggies and make them happy staying with you.

In this article, we will be discussing some ways that you can use to give happiness to your beloved pet. So without further delays, let’s get right into it! 

Ways To Make Guinea Pigs Happy

There are quite many things for you to remember that can make your cavy a cheerful and happy one.

Following are some ways that you should start practicing if you have a guinea pig at home:

Step #1. Offer a balanced diet

You have to take note that in every pet that you own or you are planning to have, it is a must that these animals are given a balanced and healthy diet.

For guinea pigs, you must offer them a strict diet meal plan to avoid stomach issues in the future.

Cavies can be very happy if you feed them with clean and fresh hay, clean water, fresh veggies, fruits, and healthy guinea pig pellets.

Be sure to give them only an adequate amount to avoid obesity. Monitor their food intake provide food after appropriate intervals. 

Step #2. Give cavies bonding and quality time

Guinea pigs are social creatures who love to have a frequent encounter with humans. These furballs want to have love and attention from their owners (which is very adorable!).

So for you to make your pet happy, spend at least 15 to 20 minutes every day as playtime, just like what I do with my pet cavy named Ginger. 

Through proper playtime, you can have great bonding and reduce your pet’s skittishness and boredom. It is not only that but of course; you will have the chance to monitor the physical health of your cavy.

You can use different games and toys to keep your guinea pig engaged and entertained. These not only help strengthen your bond but also provide mental stimulation to your pet. 

I am sure that Ginger is happy with my actions according to this matter, which is why we clicked right away!

Step #3. Make sure to give them a clean and cozy cage

Since a cage will be the long-time habitat of your beloved pet, it will be nice if you give them a clean space where they can roam around freely.

Make sure that their environment is as comfortable as it should be and that the guinea pigs can be at a high level of safety.

There are a few things that you must consider for giving a cozy cage to your pet, and these include beddings, a water bowl, a litter box, a hay feeder, and assorted kinds of toys.

Of course, you can enhance these considerations and add more like bowls for dry pellets, wooden structures for chewing purposes, and small houses where they can run and hide. 

Step #4. Create a space where they can play

You have to understand that guinea pigs are rodents that are very curious by nature. That is the reason why they need to enhance their mental and physical aspects frequently.

To aid that issue, you must make an effort to build something that will improve both their mental and physical health.

It would be best if you offer your cavies with toys and challenges so that these items will keep them occupied throughout the day.

There is no need for you to buy the most expensive ones because there is cheap stuff that can practically imitate the costly ones.

Furthermore, to make your pet’s well-being better, you must allow it to exercise outside of its cage. By that, your cavy will surely jump out of joy and will be very cheerful!

Step #5. Place the cage in an ideal location

It is not only about a clean cage, but also you have to consider what type of environment your guinea pig is in.

There is a need for you to learn that these rodents love to be near other beings, so it is an excellent move to put your pet inside your room or the family room.

Also, you have to be very keen on the details of whether the cage is in a too cold or too warm area, which will make your cavy very uncomfortable in either way.

As a pet owner, you need to learn that guinea pigs don’t like extreme temperatures, which you should avoid.

Step #6. Handle your guinea pig with love and care

When you are holding your guinea pig, you must have it with both hands and support all of its body. There are tendencies where guinea pigs jump when you hold them, so you have to be alert at all times. 

For that issue, you can train your guinea pig not to be jumpy and let it learn to be calm in those times.

Handling it firmly and gently will let it realize that you won’t harm it and give it proper care when held.

Step #7. Giving guinea pigs their comfort food

There are a lot of treats available in the market which you can give to your cavy. It is a nice gesture that you offer a treat every time your pet listens to training because it will motivate it to do better.

If you are doing it regularly, your beloved piggy will be very much delighted each time that it sees you holding a treat for it and it is one form of how to make a guinea pig happy.

Though it is an excellent action, you have to make sure that you are giving only a substantial amount to avoid health issues. 

It should be noted that treats have calories and giving too many treats can make your guinea pig overweight. Ideally, you should calculate the calories in treats and reduce the food serving to compensate for the treat. 

More so, please give them a good variety of hay because that is their staple food. This food should make up the majority of their diet meal plan.

Step #8. Bathing

You can bathe your cavy every once in a while as long as the water is at a moderate temperature.

It is a must that you do not use too much soap because these rodents are susceptible to pneumonia when bathed for a long time.

Furthermore, respiratory diseases will also be an issue for cavies, so you have to make sure that they do not soak in the water for hours.

You can find all you need to know about it in my detailed guide on how to bathe guinea pigs.

Step #9. Adding another guinea pig

A playmate will also be a good addition to making your beloved pet happy. As we have talked about earlier, these rodents are very friendly, which means that they love the company of others. 

In getting another guinea pig, you also have to prepare for the additional needs of the new member of your pet family.

Conclusion

In conclusion, if you provide your guinea pig with its essential needs, that is the answer to how to make a guinea pig happy.

Though these furballs are not that playful, I am sure that toys can keep them occupied and forget about boredom.

As a pet owner, quality time every day is something that you must keep up since you can have a stronger bond with your pet if you do so. More so, treats are truly loved by guinea pigs and will inspire them to do better every piggy training.

Good luck in giving happiness to your pet, and thank you very much for reading!